Zendaya on How to Do Holiday Party Dressing Her Way: "Don't Do Too Much!"

On Tuesday afternoon in New York, Zendaya, the multi-hyphenate 21-year-old, was prostrate in front of Bloomingdale’s waiting, like many other tourists, for the store to unveil its extravagant holiday windows. Only, Zendaya had a personal connection to this particular city tradition: she had been enlisted by the department store to design a capsule collection to promote her upcoming musical with Zac Efron, The Greatest Showman.

While she may be working her way up as an authority of classic holiday party style, as the season gears up, Zendaya said she would rather keep it cozy. “My idea holiday look at the Coleman residence is jeans and a t-shirt, or sweatpants and a t-shirt. You don’t want it to be too crazy because kids will spill on you and it’ll get wild,” she said ahead of the window reveal.

Still, the pop singer is not opposed to dressing up either, declaring, “There’s nothing wrong with a statement dress, simple shoes, simple accessories. You don’t have to do too much!” Many of the dresses in her Bloomingdale's collection are simple yet fun, and ideal for showing up to a holiday party this winter without looking like you're doing "too much," as Zendaya would say.

The film itself is inspired by the life of circus king P.T. Barnum, and stars Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams, with Efron playing Zendaya’s love interest. Its stage-ready aesthetic and costume design inspired the store's windows, which are adorned with 7.6 million Swarovski crystals and were unveiled with a performance by cast members of The Greatest Showman, as well as circus acrobats and dancers.

Zendaya, in Miu Miu, at the Bloomingdale's holiday windows unveiling in New York on November 21, 2017.

Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

“We wanted to take the idea of Greatest Showman, and the fantastical elements in it, but also make sense for someone who’s just going to a holiday party,” she said of the collection. “There are no unitards or over the top bedazzled fishnets, but there is definitely a use of metallics and a lot of stars. There’s an obsession with stars, because me and Zac [Efron], our main song is ‘Rewrite the Stars.’ It’s the idea and the elements and that vibe but done in a more realistic way.”

As the star and co-producer of Disney's K.C. Undercover, Zendaya is no stranger to turning her ideas into reality. To echo the sentiments of the film, which centers on the acceptance of identity, Zendaya declared that her own ideologies are a match with the story told in The Greatest Showman. "I don’t think anybody should be anyone but who they are, and the best thing I can do is showcase that, showcase that finding of who you are, showcase that pride in who you are and hopefully there’s a young man or young lady who sees that," she said. "[I] try to be the best version of myself so I can inspire other people to be the best version of themselves."

When it comes to designing and defining her own personal style, Zendaya said she constantly looks to stylist Law Roach, the co-creator of her line Daya by Zendaya for inspiration. Roach has also been credited for the recent revamp of Celine Dion’s style, dressing the Canadian icon in streetwear such as Vetements and Kanye West designs.

“He has always guided me through the fashion world and allowed me to be creative at the same time, introducing me to other things and also allowing me to be creative and have a partnership where we’re able to create looks together. Not only do I trust his opinion, but we understand each other,” said Zendaya. Roach’s vision has played a large part in some of her most daring and delightful carpet looks in recent memory.